Biotech Updates

The two-week 2018 United Nations Biodiversity Conference commenced on November 17, 2018, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, with an opening address from President of Egypt, H.E. Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil el-Sisi.

Genetically Engineered Corn May Help Offset Effects of Climate Change

Economists Jesse Tack from Kansas State University and Ariel Ortiz-Bobea of Cornell University published a study in Environmental Research Letters that looked at the impact of climate change on corn yields in eight Midwestern states. They paired 35 years of climatic data with United States producers' adoption of genetically engineered (GE) corn to find out if incorporating a new technology can offset the effects of higher temperatures and other weather impacts.

SEARCA BIC Joins the Celebration of the 14th National Biotechnology Week

With the theme, Pambansang Hamon, Pambansang Solusyon (Our Nation's Challenge, Our Nation's Solution), the 14^th National Biotechnology Week (NBW) of the Philippines highlighted the contributions of biotechnology in agriculture and food security, equitable health care services, development of industries and business enterprises, sustainable environment, and economic development, among others. The NBW celebration ran from November 13-17, 2018 at the World Trade Center, Manila.

EC Chief Scientific Advisors Call for Update of GM Legislation

The European Commission's chief scientific advisors urged the EC to revise the existing GMO directive 2001/18/EC because the recent ruling of the European Court of Justice has revealed that it is not in line with scientific evidence. "There is a need to improve EU GMO legislation to be clear, evidence-based, implementable, proportionate and flexible enough to cope with future advances in science and technology in this area," they said.